The Colts face a red-hot Detroit Lions team in Week 12, who will come into this game with an emphasis on limiting the Indianapolis running game.
“We cannot allow them to get this run game going,” said Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell, “because if they do, it’s going to be tough.”
Campbell would go on to praise Anthony Richardson and the Colts offensive scheme, noting the variety of ways that Shane Steichen utilizes Richardson in the run game, along with his ability to push the ball downfield. Then those elements, coupled with Jonathan Taylor, create a difficult combination for a defense to slow.
During this last game against New York, we saw the Colts’ offense that I’m guessing many imagined we would see in 2024 with Richardson. It was a run-centric approach, with Steichen leaning on both Taylor and Richardson on the ground, along with a mixture of shorter area throws combined with pushing the ball downfield. Overall, it was a very well-balanced gameplan from Indianapolis.
A strong run game has numerous benefits to the entire offense. For one, it keeps that unit ahead of the sticks and out of predictable passing situations, helping to then open up the entire playbook. Just about any sort of play can be called when when in short down-and-distances, and it often opens up downfield passing opportunities as well.
In addition to that, there can be a trickle-down effect to the time of possession battle, which gives the defense a breather and keeps the opposing offense on the sidelines–which isn’t a bad thing against the Lions, who are the NFL’s highest-scoring offense.
However, on the flip side, struggles in the run game puts the offense often in get back on track situations and in obvious passing situations. In these scenarios, the defense has the advantage now with the pass rush able to pin its ears back and coverage-wise, there’s only so many routes that can be run on third down and longs.
During the early portion of the second-half against the Jets, the Colts not being able to move the ball consistently on the ground led to what was just described and short possessions.
Detroit will enter this game allowing 4.3 yards per rush to opposing offenses which ranks 11th this season. By ESPN’s run-stop rate metric, they sit 14th overall.